The silence is deafening.

To be sure, Howard doesn’t have to talk. He has one more season remaining on his contract and he is obligated to play for the team next season, thanks to his decision to waive his early-termination option.

You remember the day he waived his opt-out clause, right? On March 15, Howard sat on a dais inside Amway Center, flanked by Magic CEO Alex Martins and General Manager Otis Smith, and professed his loyalty to the franchise and its fans during a televised press conference.

That seems like a long time ago — not two months ago.

Now, you have to wonder whether Howard really wanted to come back in the first place or whether his relationship with the franchise since has deteriorated to the point where it can’t be salvaged.

At least some people within the organization believe that Howard has no desire to return. They cite his absence from the team’s playoff games as circumstantial evidence, even though his primary surgeon provided him with a doctor’s note, saying that it was best for Howard not to travel and best for Howard to remain in the Los Angeles area to rehab his surgically repaired back.

At some point, however, the Magic will need something more than circumstantial evidence. Team officials have critical decisions to make, and they can’t move forward confidently without a concrete idea of what Howard intends to do for the long term.

Smith visited Howard on May 1, and Martins told the Sentinel on Tuesday that the team is in touch with Howard’s representative. It would be naïve to think Martins doesn’t have some idea of what Howard wants.

Which brings us back to the following question: If Howard is gung-ho about returning to the Magic, why doesn’t he say so publicly?

Possible explanations exist.

Maybe he’s sick of talking about himself. Maybe he’s focusing only on rehabbing his back. Maybe he likes being the center of speculation.

Or perhaps he can’t make a decision until he believes the organization is on the right track.

Or consider this: He knows that the Magic could fire Smith and Stan Van Gundy. Perhaps Howard is keeping a low profile because he doesn’t want to be blamed for their dismissals. Like most of us, Howard hates to be seen as a bad guy.

It does seem inconceivable that Howard and Van Gundy could co-exist for another season.

If the team brings back Van Gundy for the final year of his contract, it would be logical to conclude that Howard’s days with the organization are running out.

But even if the franchise lets Van Gundy go, it wouldn’t guarantee that Howard will decide to sign an extension.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The silence is deafening.

To be sure, Howard doesn’t have to talk. He has one more season remaining on his contract and he is obligated to play for the team next season, thanks to his decision to waive his early-termination option.

You remember the day he waived his opt-out clause, right? On March 15, Howard sat on a dais inside Amway Center, flanked by Magic CEO Alex Martins and General Manager Otis Smith, and professed his loyalty to the franchise and its fans during a televised press conference.

That seems like a long time ago — not two months ago.

Now, you have to wonder whether Howard really wanted to come back in the first place or whether his relationship with the franchise since has deteriorated to the point where it can’t be salvaged.

At least some people within the organization believe that Howard has no desire to return. They cite his absence from the team’s playoff games as circumstantial evidence, even though his primary surgeon provided him with a doctor’s note, saying that it was best for Howard not to travel and best for Howard to remain in the Los Angeles area to rehab his surgically repaired back.

At some point, however, the Magic will need something more than circumstantial evidence. Team officials have critical decisions to make, and they can’t move forward confidently without a concrete idea of what Howard intends to do for the long term.

Smith visited Howard on May 1, and Martins told the Sentinel on Tuesday that the team is in touch with Howard’s representative. It would be naïve to think Martins doesn’t have some idea of what Howard wants.

Which brings us back to the following question: If Howard is gung-ho about returning to the Magic, why doesn’t he say so publicly?

Possible explanations exist.

Maybe he’s sick of talking about himself. Maybe he’s focusing only on rehabbing his back. Maybe he likes being the center of speculation.

Or perhaps he can’t make a decision until he believes the organization is on the right track.

Or consider this: He knows that the Magic could fire Smith and Stan Van Gundy. Perhaps Howard is keeping a low profile because he doesn’t want to be blamed for their dismissals. Like most of us, Howard hates to be seen as a bad guy.

It does seem inconceivable that Howard and Van Gundy could co-exist for another season.

If the team brings back Van Gundy for the final year of his contract, it would be logical to conclude that Howard’s days with the organization are running out.

But even if the franchise lets Van Gundy go, it wouldn’t guarantee that Howard will decide to sign an extension.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

By Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

10:52 p.m. EDT, May 15, 2012

Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said Tuesday night that his evaluation process of the team’s basketball operations department is still ongoing.

“No decisions have been reached,” Martins told the Orlando Sentinel via text message.

Martins and Chairman Dan DeVos have said team officials evaluate the performance of the basketball-operations department and other areas within the organization after every season.

But the status of Otis Smith, the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager, and coach Stan Van Gundy are in doubt.

Smith reportedly will meet with team officials Wednesday.

Smith has told the Sentinel he was not sure whether he wants to return for the 2012-13 season, the final season of his contract. Smith did not return a phone call from the Sentinel on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Dwight Howard’s long-term plans remain unclear — at least to the public. Smith visited with Howard in the Los Angeles area between Games 2 and 3 of the Magic’s postseason series against the Indiana Pacers, and both Smith and Martins said Howard had not made a trade request.

Martins said team officials have been in touch with Howard’s camp recently.

Dan Fegan, Howard’s agent, has not returned messages from the Sentinel in recent days.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic 105-87 on Tuesday night and clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1.

It was Indiana’s first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round.

Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 27 points and made 5 of 8 3-pointers. Glen Davis, a thorn in Indiana’s side throughout the series, scored 15 but made just 6 of 17 shots. The Magic made just 5 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter.

Collison made a layup and hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 78-73 lead with 9:33 to play. After Nelson drained another 3, Collison came back with a layup, then Leandro Barbosa’s steal and layup pushed Indiana’s lead to 87-80 with 6:49 to play and forced an Orlando timeout. A few minutes later, Indiana’s Paul George stole an inbounds pass and found Granger under the hoop for a layup and a 91-80 lead. The Pacers dominated from there.

Indiana led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but as was the case throughout the series, it didn’t last. Orlando got hot late in the half, and a 3-pointer by Jason Richardson and a bucket by Davis cut Indiana’s lead to 48-47. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert made a hook shot to push the lead back to three at the break.

A putback by Ryan Anderson gave Orlando a 51-50 lead early in the third quarter.

A bucket by David West and a jumper and a 3-pointer by Hill pushed Indiana’s lead to 57-51. Orlando rallied again and tied the game at 61 on a fadeaway by Davis before a three by Nelson gave Orlando a 66-64 lead. He hit another three in the closing seconds – he had 15 in the quarter – to give Orlando a 71-69 lead.

Hill added nine points in the period to keep the Pacers in the game before Collison and Granger put it away.

Notes: The teams combined for just five turnovers in the first quarter. … Indiana shot 50 percent in the first 12 minutes. … Orlando made just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the first period. … Collison’s first turnover of the series came in the closing seconds of the third quarter. He finished the series with 23 assists and one turnover in the series. … Orlando outscored Indiana 24-19 in the third quarter. Indiana had outscored the Magic 108-60 combined in the third quarter of the previous four games.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

During their short NBA history the Orlando Magic have had the good fortune of drafting two of the NBA’s most dominant centers of their generation, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. So of the two, who rates as the best center in Magic history? Now before answering that it’s O’Neal in a runaway, let’s remember that the former LSU star only spent the first four seasons of his storied NBA career in Orlando. That said, here is a breakdown of the two stars and how they compare to each other in franchise history.

Scoring:

Perhaps only Wilt Chamberlin has been a bigger scoring threat than O’Neal was down low, as the 7-1, 325 lbs. center was a force to be reckoned with in the paint since his rookie year. By his third season in the league Shaquille would lead the league in scoring, and in four seasons on the team O’Neal would average 23.4, 29.3, 29.3 and 26.6 points per game. While Howard has developed a series of nifty moves down low, he still has not developed into the dominant scorer that O’Neal once was. - Edge to O’Neal.

Rebounding:

O’Neal’s best days as a rebounder were spent in Orlando, where he twice grabbed over 1,000 rebounds in a single season. However, that’s a feat that the smaller Howard has accomplished six times, leading the NBA in total rebounds six times as well in the process. In the playoffs, it’s no difference as Howard has averaged 14.4 rebounds per game throughout his career. So while this one should have gone to O’Neal, it falls to the shorter Howard. - Edge to Howard.

Defense:

O’Neal got off to a great start leading the league in blocks with 286 during his rookie season, though by his last year in O-town, those numbers were significantly down. In the meantime, Howard has led the NBA in block shots twice and now has three NBA Defensive Player of Year awards to his credit, an honor O’Neal never won. - Edge to Howard.

Passing:

This one is not even close, as O’Neal rates as one of the better passing big man in the NBA in recent history. Shaq topped out at 2.9 assists per game his last season on the team, an average that reached 4.6 during the playoffs. Howard is not a bad passer but not in O’Neal’s company and carries a much lower 1.5 assist per game average during his career. - Edge to O’Neal.

Leadership and Team Value:

Having polished part of his game at the college level, O’Neal got off to a faster start than Howard leading Orlando to the NBA final in only his third season in the league, and into the playoffs three out of his four seasons on the team. In comparison, Howard took five seasons to get Orlando into the NBA finals, and has led the franchise into the playoffs five times overall. Neither center led Orlando to a championship. In the playoffs, the nod goes to O’Neal, whose scoring ability was unmatched by Howard. - Edge to O’Neal.

Though overall it’s a closer battle than one would imagine, Shaquille O’Neal still edges out Dwight Howard as the greatest center to wear an Orlando Magic uniform.

About this writer: A resident of Orlando, FL, the writer has been a fan of the Orlando Magic since their inaugural season in the NBA. The writer lists Scott Skiles and Hedo Turkoglu among his all-time favorite Magic players.

Most valuable player

Jameer Nelson played an important role off the court. He helped keep the team together during its persistent Howard drama and after Howard underwent season-ending surgery April 20.

Least valuable player

Howard. All the drama that surrounded Howard — from his December trade request and his desire for a coaching change — took a significant toll on his teammates and the coaches. It’s a testament to the players and the coaching staff that the team did as well as it did.

Most entertaining game

Magic fans, players and coaches hated the final result, but no game featured more twists, more turns and more heart than Orlando’s 101-99 overtime loss in Game 4 of its playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. The Magic recovered from an 82-63 deficit with 8:14 left in regulation and tied the score late. Nelson had a chance to win in the game, but he misfired on his fadeaway jumper as time expired. Orlando trailed by six to begin overtime, but the extra period still featured three ties.

Most bizarre game

On Jan. 12, the Magic defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-109 in Oakland, Calif., as Warriors coach Mark Jackson told his players to foul Howard repeatedly. Howard attempted 39 free throws, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record for free throws in a game. The record had stood since Feb. 22, 1962.

Most bizarre moment

Nothing was more surreal than the team’s shootaround April 5. After it ended, coach Stan Van Gundy, in response to a direct question, told reporters he had been told by the “top” of the organization that Howard wanted him fired. That would’ve been strange enough. But Howard, not knowing what Van Gundy had said, insinuated himself into Van Gundy’s Q-and-A with reporters a short while later, put his arm around Van Gundy and tried to shoot down rumors that he wanted Van Gundy’s dismissal.

Best win

The Magic had more dominant performances, including a 102-89 win over Miami on Feb. 8. They also had more emotional victories, including a 104-98 overtime win over Miami on March 13. But the Magic’s 88-82 win in Philadelphia on April 7 was the team’s grittiest victory. Just two days after the bizarre shootaround involving Van Gundy and Howard, the Magic snapped a five-game losing streak. Howard scored 20 points and grabbed 22 rebounds despite back spasms. Van Gundy said: “We’ve had, obviously — and I added to it — a tumultuous week, and they fought for each other.”

Worst loss

The Magic’s worst performance as a team occurred when they lost 87-56 on Jan. 23 in Boston to the Celtics, setting a new franchise record for fewest points in a game. But the most painful loss took place three days later in Orlando; that night, the Magic led the Celtics by 27 points in the second quarter but wound up losing 91-83.

Best individual performance

Howard scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 25 rebounds in Orlando’s 104-98 overtime win over Miami on March 13.

Most improved player

Ryan Anderson won the NBA’s 2011-12 Most Improved Player Award, and he obviously was the Magic’s most improved player. He set career-highs in points per game (16.1), rebounds per game (7.7), field-goal percentage (.439) and starts (61).

Best comeback

J.J. Redickmissed 17 games in 2010-11 because of two muscle tears in his lower abdomen, but Redick didn’t miss a game because of injury in 2011-12 and had one of his best seasons.

Most impressive feat

The Magic could have caved when Howard decided to undergo season-ending surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back. But the team rallied together. It won Game 1 of its playoff series against the Pacers.

jbrobbins@tribune.com

Ewing has said he would be interested in any head-coaching job, and he is friends with the Bobcats’ owner, Michael Jordan.

Van Gundy enthusiastically endorsed Ewing for any head-coaching job the other day. Here’s what Van Gundy had to say:

“I think he would really focus on the details of execution and hold guys to a high standard of that,” Van Gundy said.

“Look, I think the guy will be a great head coach. I can’t believe it’s taken this long. I don’t know what the problem is in terms of people’s perception. There’s so many other ex-players who can get a shot. He’s ready, and I hope this offseason will be his time.”

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Ewing has said he would be interested in any head-coaching job, and he is friends with the Bobcats’ owner, Michael Jordan.

Van Gundy enthusiastically endorsed Ewing for any head-coaching job the other day. Here’s what Van Gundy had to say:

“I think he would really focus on the details of execution and hold guys to a high standard of that,” Van Gundy said.

“Look, I think the guy will be a great head coach. I can’t believe it’s taken this long. I don’t know what the problem is in terms of people’s perception. There’s so many other ex-players who can get a shot. He’s ready, and I hope this offseason will be his time.”

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.